Hundreds of thousands of pounds are being spent on sprucing up hospitals.

A major clean-up programme is under way at Royal Sussex County, Brighton General, Sussex Eye Hospital and Royal Alexandra children's hospitals.

The move is part of a Government initiative, launched last year, to improve hospital environments for patients and reduce the risk of infections.

Special Patient Environmental Action Teams (Peats) have been visiting the hospitals and work has already begun on a series of improvements. Peat teams have three categories, red, amber and green, depending on the condition and appearance of hospitals, which they can award to trusts.

Brighton Health Care NHS Trust has been given amber status, which means a lot of improvements have to be made before it reaches green, the highest level.

Significant works are being carried out to improve the environment of each hospital such as cleaning, refurbishing and repairing floor surfaces, entrances and lift lobbies.

A number of roof repairs are also planned to stop water seeping into wards, departments and public areas. Repairs and improvements to the toilet facilities at Brighton General are expected to be finished by the end of March.

Nearly £60,000 is to be spent on radiator covers at Brighton General and Royal Sussex County. Quiet rooms where ward staff can talk to patients, visitors and relatives in private are also being upgraded.

A general ward tidy-up programme is due to be finished by the end of March.

The trust is also re-roofing its main operating theatres at a cost of £110,000 as part of the programme.

Lee Soden, the trust's director of facilities, said: "There is still a long way to go to complete all of these improvements but they have got to be done.

"Once the changes have been carried out, we will then have to work on a system of keeping the buildings in as good a condition as possible."

The trust has until July before the improvements are checked by the South-East region NHS estates department.